According to a recent report from The Sun’s Live Transfer Blog (January 17, 12:23), Everton are one side interested in a move for striker Daniel Sturridge. The 29-year-old currently plays his football across the city at bitter rivals Liverpool and has done so since leaving Chelsea back in 2013, but with his contract up in the summer, his long-term future at Anfield remains hugely uncertain.

And reports suggest that Marco Silva’s Everton are eyeing up a move for the England international this month, as sealing a controversial deal for the Liverpool forward would finally give the Toffees manager the number nine he has been craving at Goodison Park.

The Breakdown

Ultimately, Silva inherited an Everton squad during the summer that was pretty short in attacking quality in the final third, with the likes of Cenk Tosun, Dominic Calvert-Lewin, and Oumar Niasse simply unable to regularly convince of their capabilities upfront.

And that has very much ran into this term with Calvert-Lewin the only one who appears to be in Silva’s regular thinking for the first team, with Everton’s difficulties in that area exemplified by the fact that Richarlison, a summer signing from Watford, has been shoe-horned into the number nine position for much of the campaign.

Yes, the Brazil international has performed solidly for the Toffees in that role, but he doesn’t appear to be the answer to the conundrum – yet Liverpool’s Sturridge certainly could be.

The 29-year-old’s injury problems have been well-documented over the years, but one cannot deny that the striker, when fit, is one of the most lethal and prolific strikers in the Premier League given he has netted 77 goals in just 211 games in the English top-flight, many of which have come during his time on Merseyside in the last six years.

And while he hasn’t quite hit those heights in the last few seasons, dislodging the likes of Roberto Firmino, Sadio Mane, and Mohamed Salah from the Liverpool first team would be a challenge for many forwards in world football such has been the trio’s remarkable goal-scoring form – for what it’s worth though, Sturridge does appear to be the first alternative.

Significantly, the England international has what it takes to lead the line for Everton – he is quick and makes intelligent runs in behind, thus appealing to Gylfi Sigurdsson’s excellent eye for a pass, while he is strong and possesses decent aerial ability, thus appealing to those down the flanks seeking to get crosses into the box.

Clearly, the Toffees are in serious need of reinforcements in the striking ranks, and if they are serious about bridging the gap to the top sides in the Premier League, they certainly need that prolific and reliable goal-scorer leading the line, much in the way Romelu Lukaku did for many years.

And while moving for Sturridge would be somewhat controversial, what with very few players having swapped Liverpool for Everton in recent years, it’s a move the Toffees simply have to make to finally equip Silva with his perfect number nine.